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Monday, June 22, 2015

Recap: London Drugs Beauty 2015

You might have heard about the recent London Drugs Beauty event, which the Vancouver beauty blogger community has been buzzing about lately. This press event showcases what's new and coming up in beauty at London Drugs and is always exciting (and exhausting!) The lighting at the event was very low and blue, so photographs were difficult. It was also really hectic so I wasn't able to photograph everything, but trust me when I say there is a lot of cool stuff either coming soon or already in stores now.

But first, let's get a drink. This rosemary-infused gin (I think?) cocktail was fun to look at and photograph because of all the smoke created by the dry ice, but it took forever to stop bubbling so I could take a drink. I ended up downing it as quickly as possible at the first opportunity just so I could have a free hand again to photograph and juggle an increasingly-heavy bag of samples.

Annabelle is releasing a number of new eye products with a special focus on 2-in-1 convenience. There's a brow pencil/highlighter duo, a double-ended EyeInk liquid liner with one ultrafine end and one thicker end, and a kohl duo. There's also a new take on their EyeInk liquid eyeliner, now available in a double-ended version with a corrector on one end to erase mistakes and smudges.

Annabelle will also be introducing their take on the ever-popular nude eyeshadow palette with their Smokey Nudes palette, which includes ten shimmery shades to feed your neutral shadow addiction.

One of Cargo's newest releases is their HD Liquid Foundation, an oil-free foundation in eight shades. This foundation blended gorgeously with the Cargo Magic Brush and felt smooth and comfortable. Not pictured, but there is also an HD Concealer in a pen format to brighten the undereye area.

Emani is a vegan beauty line with products formulated for sensitive skin. Obviously my eyes zoomed in right away on the display of their Hydrating Lip Colour lipsticks.

My favourites of the bunch are actually the three in the back in the photograph before: Promiscuous (bright red), Dolce (pinky-beige MLBB), and Plush (bright shimmery pink). These lipsticks swatched so smoothly and were very glossy from the hydrating formula.

Coming soon to London Drugs is the HD Corrective Concealer, which is infused with vitamin C.

Did you know Neostrata was the first to bring glycolic acid to the consumer market outside of a doctor's office? (At least that's what their reps told me.) If that's true, my skin owes a lot to them, because glycolic acid makes my skin look crazy good and even. NeoStrata currently offers their Glycolic Smoothing Renewal Cream in 5% and 10% concentrations of glycolic acid for smooth skin. The new Acne Clear Clarifying Gel Cleanser and Acne Clear Clarifying Solution with 2% salicylic acid will soon be hitting stores.

I've just recently reviewed the NYX Highlight & Contour Pro Palette, but I couldn't help snapping this photograph which laid out all of NYX's new face products so nicely. In addition to the Pro Palette, contouring lovers can also check out the NYX Wonder Sticks or the Conceal, Correct, Contour (3C) Palettes (both cream-based) at London Drugs locations. In the top right corner is the Color Correcting Palette with complementary colours in a creamy formula to address skin imperfections.

Remington's new T|Studio PROtect line includes a ceramic-plate hair straightener and a hair dryer (pictured). The dryer has a special conditioning ring (the turquoise ring inside) infused with argan and macadamia nut oils that Remington says works to protect against damage. Okay yes, the turquoise packaging is totally my weakness, but it also sounds really cool!

I don't know if the Revlon Ultra HD Lipsticks pictured here are new shades or not, but it was just too pretty of a display to pass up. If you haven't tried these bold, pigmented lipsticks yet by the way, you really should. Revlon's collaboration with Marchesa is still going strong: Revlon previously released a collection of accessories (tweezers, compact mirrors, etc) with lace patterns, and next will be accessories embellished with an ornate gem print.

St. Tropez will be adding more products to their line to help achieve a natural, summery glow: Luxe Facial Oil, Luxe Dry Oil for Body, and In Shower Gradual Tan. (I told the St. Tropez rep about how I get a "driver's tan" where my thighs become visibly more tan from sun exposure from driving while my legs remain pasty below the knee. She was shocked and had never heard of such a thing T__T)

Tweezerman is reaching out to men with their G.E.A.R. line, which features a rubberized black look for tweezers and nail tools. I hear that these products are displayed in the men's shaving aisle rather than in the cosmetic accessories section. Don't let the manly-man aesthetic stop you from taking a look, they can obviously be used by anyone. I've been using the G.E.A.R. Slant Tweezers and they are legit. Super sharp and when used with a magnifying mirror, my brows haven't looked this good without wax or threading maybe ever.

Also, I had talked in last year's recap about Tweezerman's new line of synthetic makeup brushes. The release of the makeup brushes was super delayed until just recently this year, and you can definitely find them now exclusively at London Drugs stores.

That's it for this year! I wasn't able to get into every brand featured at the event, but hopefully you folks saw something new/coming soon that piqued your interest! Reviews of press samples will trickle out as I work through this mountain of product.

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